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Being a spectator: Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens and 10 year reunions

Lake Stevens is less than 40 minutes from downtown Seattle, so Isaac and I decided to go watch the Lake Stevens Ironman 70.3. We had assumed earlier in the year we couldn't race this half Ironman 3 weeks post Ironman Canada and didn't sign up. We saw some participants wearing their IM Canada 2015 Finisher hats and were a liiiiiittle jealous. Would have loved to participate, but who knows how that would have felt on my knee, which is still hurting on runs post race (but my brain was wishing I was out on the course the whole time!)

 The swim start was in waves, which I'm assuming was fantastic. Nice and calm, surrounded by your age group instead of 2,000 people!

Swim start


So foggy on the lake! Coming in from the swim
T1 and T2 were in the same spot. This portion felt like a normal tri - you have your transitions preset and have to get your run gear wet while you strip out of your wetsuit! I really loved having gear bags and changing in tents in two separate transition zones. A little spoiled. On the bike course we saw Gordon Ramsey, who I love. Fun cheering him on and following him through his half! Sat down at a coffee shop while rracers were on the bike course and ended up sharing a table with his assistant and chatted with him for a while. So, between having the Seahawks comment on my instagram this weekend and befriending Gordon's assistant, I think it's safe to assume I'm now famous and am going to be moving to L.A. I'll miss you all.
  After watching the event, I would consider participating if I ever have a late season Ironman. I will admit, my goal is NOT to do late season races - I want to be able to enjoy at least some of summer with my friends!! So, maybe someday, not in the near future. It looked like it'd be great prep for a hilly course. It was also set up ideally for a spectator - since the transition zone and swim start were the same spot, it was so centrally located you didn't have to worry about getting from the start over to a different area for transition, which was a struggle for our family at Ironman Canada. 








Also this weekend - girls night out at the Hawk's preseason opener!
Seahawks opened last Friday with a loss. Oh well, just preseason. I had a great time, girls night out (love you Jen)!! This weekend was pretty busy, my cousin-in-law(?) was in town from NY so we had a family afternoon playing around downtown. I also had a great time out at Beaver Lake with my co-workers. It felt like all weekend I was running from one thing to another, and kept thinking throughout it all that I'm so lucky this all was happening in the off season. I need to pack my weekends for as long as I can, less than 6 months until I won't be able to do stuff like that. I love doing stuff like that, spending so much time with people I care about.


Beaver Lake


I leave for Hawaii on Sunday morning. Before that, we have Isaac's 10 year reunion on Saturday. I've been thinking a lot about how things have changed in the last 10 years as we approach this "milestone". So much has changed in my life. I graduated from one of the best universities in the country, I met Isaac, bought our first house, got married, bought a condo downtown, switched jobs twice, found passion in running, completed an Ironman. As I list those things out, they're not the only things I think define the past 10 years, although I'm sure those are the things I will list out loud to others, as they are measurable. I've grown a lot as a person and that you just can't measure. I've also made a lot of mistakes along the way. I've learned from most of them and am still learning from some others. I almost lost some really important relationships, and am thankful I was able to repair them. I focus more on the quality of my relationships than the quantity. I try to be more present every day - you just never know which time is the last time you'll see someone. Each day is a new opportunity to be better. Now that I'm not focused on only getting faster, stronger, higher endurance, Ironman... I'm trying to focus on growing as a person. Spending time and energy on other parts of life. Family, friends, music... things that make me happy.

 Song of this week: Zedd - Spectrum ft Matthew Koma

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